Organic toothpaste

ABSTRACT

An organic toothpaste is a Pickering emulsion having a particle stabilizer bound in the interface between the continuous phase and dispersed phase of the emulsion. The particle stabilizer prevents the dispersed phase from coalescing and phase separating. The emulsion may include glycerin and water to form the emulsion and particles, such as erythritol and/or rice powder as the stabilizer. An organic toothpaste may be certified USDA organic and contain no more than 5% by weight of components list of allowed substances, found in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart G published on May 24, 2018. An organic toothpaste may include a foaming component such as saponin, soapbark, decyl glucoside or  Quillaja saponaria . In addition, an organic toothpaste may include a natural sweetener such as agave, xylitol or erythritol.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/345,242, filed on Apr. 25, 2019 and currently pending, whichis a national stage entry of PCT/US2018/063923, filed on Dec. 4, 2018,which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No.62/678,243, filed on May 30, 2018; the entirety of all applications arehereby incorporated by reference herein

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to toothpaste and particularly to a United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic toothpaste comprisingat least 95% by weight organic ingredients and no more than 5% ofnon-organic ingredients that are listed on the National Organic Program(NOP) list of allowed substances, found in the Electronic Code ofFederal Regulations, Subpart G published on May 24, 2018.

Background

Many people are becoming more concerned about exposure to chemicals thatmay be detrimental to their health. Toothpaste comes in direct contactwith the user's mouth and to some degree is ingested, and or absorbedthrough the oral cavity. As a result, many people are turning to organicproducts including, food, soap, deodorant, shampoo and the like toreduce their exposure to harmful chemicals. For a product to becertified USDA organic it can contain no more than 5% by weight ofnon-organic materials and these materials have to be listed on the Codeof Federal Regulations list of approved substances allowed asingredients in or on products labeled as “organic” or “made withorganic”. The full list of these items is provided in Tables 3 to 5. TheNational List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances identifies thesynthetic substances that may be used and the nonsynthetic (natural)substances that may not be used in organic crop and livestockproduction. It also identifies a limited number of non-organicsubstances that may be used in or on processed organic products as foundon website:https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/national-organic-program-national-list-allowed-and-prohibited-substances-cropshttps://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=9874504b6f1025eb0e6b67cadf9d3b40&rgn=div6&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.7&idno=7.For the purposes of this application the following versions of theselist are to be used: § 205.605 Nonagricultural (nonorganic) substancesallowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic”or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)); and §205.606 Nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed asingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic.”

Toothpaste requires a very special set of characteristics that is verychallenging to achieve and also meet the requirements of USDA organic. Atoothpaste must have an effective consistency, have acceptable shelflife, have a pleasant taste and provide abrasive cleaning of the teethand foam. This long list of attributes is very challenging to produce asa certified USDA organic product.

Toothpaste provides a wide variety of benefits including, but notlimited to, cleaning debris and plaque from teeth and gums, whiteningteeth, reducing bacteria, providing a pleasant taste and smell to themouth and the like. Again, this long and diverse list of benefits indifficult to achieve with a single composition, especially one that isorganic.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSE) is designed by law to advisethe National Organic Program (NOP) on which substances should be allowedor prohibited in products labeled USDA Certified Organic. The NationalOrganic Program (NOP) is a regulatory program within the USDAAgricultural Marketing Service responsible for developing nationalstandards for organically-produced agricultural products. Theirstandards are used to assure consumers that products with the USDAorganic seal meet consistent, uniform standards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a USDA certified organic toothpastecomprising at least 95% by weight organic ingredients and no more than5% of non-organic ingredients listed on the National List of Allowed andProhibited Substances as detailed above. An exemplary USDA certifiedorganic toothpaste, as used herein, has no more than 5% by weight ofnon-organic material and wherein these non-organic materials areselected from the list of substances allowed as ingredients in or on aproduct labeled as “Organic.” A full list of the allowed non-organicsubstances is provided in Tables 5 to 8.

In an exemplary embodiment, the toothpaste comprises a Pickeringemulsion, that has a continuous phase and a dispersed phase having aninterface therebetween and particles bound within this interface thatacts to stabilize the emulsion. One of the most difficult aspects ofmaking a toothpaste out of organic ingredients is to form a suitablepaste or gel having a viscosity that is high enough to allow thetoothpaste to hold a shape when squeezed onto a toothbrush. In addition,the viscosity must not be too high as it may be difficult to dispensefrom the tube or other packaging. The viscosity of toothpaste at 20° C.,may be from about 50 kcentipoise (cps) to about 500 kcps, 70 kcentipoise(cps) to about 500 kcps, or at least about 60 kcps, or at least about 70kcps and no more than about 500 kcps, or no more than about 2500 kcps,and any range between and including the values provided. In addition,the viscosity must be maintained over the shelf life of the product.Many emulsions phase separate over time which can dramatically drop theviscosity and make the product unsuitable for toothpaste. In a Pickeringemulsion however, the particles within the interface prevent thedispersed phase from coalescing. The continuous phase in a Pickeringemulsion may be water and the dispersed phase may be an oil, such as anorganic fluid such as a glycerin, and/or the dispersed phase may bewater, such as distilled water. The particles may comprise naturallyderived organic particles such as erythritol, rice powder, coconut milkpowder and/or coconut flour. The particles added in a Pickering emulsionmay need to have a surface tension that is suitable to partially wet thecontinuous phase and dispersed phase. The particles may be of a size toenable effective stabilization of the Pickering emulsion. For example,the particles may be 20 mesh or no more than about 850 microns in size,about 30 mesh or no more than about 600 microns in size, about 40 meshor no more than about 400 microns in size, 50 mesh or no more than about300 microns is size, or any range between and including the particlesizes provided. Rice powder for example may be 50 mesh. In addition, thefatty acids derived from other ingredients may act to stabilize thePickering emulsion.

An exemplary USDA certified organic toothpaste comprises a hydrator orwater component, oil to produce an emulsion with the water component,humectant to reduce moisture loss, abrasive for effective cleaning,particles to stabilize the Pickering emulsion, preservative, flavoringand a conditioning agent. Obtaining all of these ingredients in thecorrect concentrations to achieve all of the required properties and beUSDA certified organic is very challenging. An exemplary USDA certifiedorganic toothpaste may not utilize an oil and the consistency may beachieved through the mixture of the other components as described orwith a substitute to oil to produce the emulsion.

Table 1 provides an exemplary toothpaste formulation that qualifies asUSDA Certified Organic and has all of the properties required for atoothpaste including shelf life. Water and glycerin are mixed withparticles including erythritol and rice powder to form a Pickeringemulsion. Glycerin may also act as a humectant to prevent water loss andany number of flavors can be added from natural sources such as jasmineextract, grapefruit oil and the like. Glycerin may form the dispersed,or discontinuous phase in the Pickering emulsion. Glycerin and/orchamomile may be added and act as a natural preservative and anexemplary Chamomile extract is available from Naturally SourcedSolutions, Naples, Fla. The abrasive may be particles of erythritoland/or rice powder.

The continuous phase of the Pickering emulsion may be formed by water.Water may be added in a relatively high concentration by weight of thetoothpaste formulation, such as about 30% or more, about 40% of more,about 50% or more about 60% or more, about 70% or less and any of theconcentrations provided herein. It is surprising that a formulation withsuch high concentrations of water can maintain viscosity overtime andnot phase separate.

The particles of the Pickering emulsion may be erythritol, rice powder,or coconut flour, or powder. The particles may be added in aconcentration by weight of the toothpaste formulation, such as about 5%or more, about 8% of more, about 10% or more about 15% or more, about20% or less and any of the concentrations provided herein. The particlesmay also act as an abrasive for effective cleaning of teeth. Erythritolalso is sugar alcohol and a sweetener for the toothpaste. Erythritol is60-70% as sweet as sucrose but has very low calories and does not affectblood sugar or cause tooth decay. Furthermore, erythritol has lowsolubility, as it has no reducing end groups. There are studies thatshow that erythritol fights bacteria and can help to prevent cavities.Erythritol is not hygroscopic and has a lower water solubility thansucrose and a higher tendency to crystallize. An exemplary erythritol isorganic erythritol, 20-30 mesh size, available from Pyure, Naples, Fla.

TABLE 1 Approximate Ingredient Constituents AS ADDED Weight % FUNCTIONWater Water 46.1290% 46.1290% hydrator ORG Chamomile Water 11.0000%6.6000% botanical Concentrate Chamomilla Recutita 4.4000% blend(Chamomile) Flower Organic Erythritol Erythritol* 12.0000% 12.0000%abrasive ORG Rice Syrup Oryza Sativa (Rice) 0.1000% 0.09500% abrasiveSolids DE 2 Water** 0.00500% Cocoganic Coconut Water 0.2000% 0.1640%conditioning Tapioca Maltodextrin* 0.0360% agent Organic Neem Glycerin *0.0100% 0.00845% conditioning Extract Water 0.00075% agent MeliaAzadirachta 0.00075% CO Rose Extract Glycerin* 0.0100% 0.00845%conditioning Water 0.00075% agent Rosa Centifolia (Rose) 0.00075% COHibiscus Glycerin* 0.0100% 0.00845% conditioning Extract Water 0.00075%agent Hibiscus Sabdariffa 0.00075% CO Holy Basil Glycerin * 0.0100%0.00845% conditioning Extract Water 0.00075% agent Ocimum Sanctum (Holy0.00075% Andean QDP Quillaja Saponaria Wood 0.2000% 0.1920% surfactantUltra Citric Acid 0.0080% Aloe Vera 200x Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe 1.0200%1.0200% conditioning ORG Matcha Camellia Sinensis (Green 0.0100% 0.0100%conditioning ORG Peppermint Mentha Piperita 0.5000% 0.5000% essentialoil Organic Ethyl Alcohol* 0.1000% 0.0980% flavor Rosemary FlavorRosemary Oil* 0.0020% ORG Grapefruit Ethyl Alcohol * 0.1000% 0.0610%flavor Flavor Water 0.0350% Pink Grapefruit Oil* 0.0040% ORG Green TeaEthyl Alcohol* 3.2000% 2.9120% flavor Flavor Green Tea Essence* 0.1600%Natural Ingredients 0.1280% Lavender Extract* 0.0032% ORG Jasmine EthylAlcohol* 1.0000% 0.9800% flavor Flavor Natural Ingredients 0.0150%Jasmine Extract* 0.0010% Nat ORG Toasted Ethyl Alcohol* 1.0000% 0.9600%flavor Almond Flavor Natural Ingredients 0.0400% Coffee Espresso 0.0100%ORG Jasmine Jasminum Grandiflorum 0.0010% 0.0010% conditioning ORG GuarGum Cyamopsis 3.0000% 3.0000% thickener Organic Glycerin Glycerin*20.0000% 20.0000% humectant Xanthan Gum Xanthan Gum 0.4000% 0.4000%thickener

Other natural oils may be added to the toothpaste formulation asflavoring or to contribute to the dispersed phase of the Pickeringemulsion. Some natural oils are provided in Table 2. Aloe may be addedto the toothpaste formulation as a concentrate to avoid separation. Aconcentrated powder of aloe may be reconstituted with water beforeadding to the toothpaste formulation. An exemplary Aloe Vera concentrateis available from Terry Laboratories, Melbourne, Fla. and is a 200×concentrate. Aloe is very good for gum health.

An exemplary organic toothpaste may include a surfactant or foamingcomponent that is naturally derived and/or organic, such as saponin,which is found in agave and the yucca plant. Other natural surfactantsor foaming components include, but are not limited to, Soapbark(Quillaja saponaria) and decyl glucoside (Plantaren). Plantaren, is analkyl polyglucoside, a non-ionic surfactant obtained from renewable,plant-derived raw materials. Quillaja saponaria may be preferred foamingagent.

An exemplary organic toothpaste may comprise natural or naturallyderived sweeteners including, but not limited to, stevia or steviaextract, agave, yacon syrup, derived from the yucca plant, erythritol,xylitol, natural sugars such as those derived from sugar cane, and thelike. Xylitol is categorized as a polyalcohol or sugar alcohol (alditol)Xylitol is naturally found in low concentrations in a variety of naturalsources including fruits and vegetables, berries, oats, as well asfibrous material such as corn husks and sugar cane bagasse. Xylitol maybe preferred as it is actively beneficial for dental health as it is anonfermentable sugar alcohol. Xylitol contains a tridentate ligand,(H—C—OH)₃ that rearranges with polyvalent cations like Ca²⁺, transportedthrough the through saliva, to allow enamel to remineralize beforedental cavities form. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol or polyol, and doesnot provide as many calories as sugar, is 60-70% as sweet as sucrose,yet has very few calories and does not affect blood sugar. Erythritol isfound in some fruits and fermented foods and is produced from glucose byfermentation with a yeast. Erythritol also does not cause tooth decay.Sweetener may be added in a concentration to produce an effectivelysuitable taste. Some sweeteners may be added in low concentrations, suchas stevia which may be included in a concentration by weight of thetoothpaste of only 5% or less, 3% or less, 2% or less or even 1% orless. This sweetener may be added in a low concentration therebyenabling other ingredients to be added in greater amounts as required.Other sweeteners may be added in higher concentrations and may servemore than one purpose such as acting also as an abrasive or particlestabilizer. For example, erythritol may be added in a concentration byweight of the toothpaste of about 5% of more, 8% or more, 10% or more oreven 20% of more and any range between and including concentrationsprovided. The agave and yacon syrup contain saponin which is a naturalsurfactant, soaping or foam forming agent and therefore may be added inhigher concentrations as they are dual purpose. In one embodiment, thesweetener is xylitol or erythritol and the soaping agent is an alkylpolyglucoside, such as decyl glucoside (Plantaren). A sweetener may beadded in relatively high concentrations such as about 5% or more byweight, about 8% or more by weight, about 10% or more by weight, about12% or more by weight, about 20% or less by weight and any range betweenand including the weight percentages provided. A preferred sweetener iserythritol for the reasons provided herein and erythritol may also actsas particles for an abrasive and to stabilize the Pickering Emulsion.Erythritol may also be an exfoliant.

An exemplary organic toothpaste may comprise one or more natural ornaturally derived flavoring components including, but not limited to,ginger powder, eucalyptus oil, fruit or berry oils or extractsincluding, but not limited to, orange oil, raspberry, banana, lemon,coconut, apple or apple extract, grapefruit, neem oil, and herbalcomponents including, but not limited to, hibiscus, rosemary, tea tree,horse tail, peppermint oil, mint leaves or mint extract, holy basil,neem and/or rose hips. An exemplary neem component is an organic neemextract in organic glycerin and water. An exemplary neem is availablefrom Carrubba, Inc., Milford, Conn.

An exemplary organic toothpaste may also comprise a thickening agentsuch as guar gum, xanthan gum and the like. Thickening agents may beadded in a concentration of about 3% or more by weight, about 4% or moreby weight, about 5% or more by weight and any range between andincluding the weight percentages provided. or humectants including, butnot limited to, glycerin, aloe vera, yacon syrup and agave syrup. Ahumectant may be a key ingredient to enable a toothpaste to achieve arequired shelf-life. Glycerin or another humectant may be added inrelatively high concentrations for this purpose, as described herein.

For a product to be certified USDA organic, the product may contain nomore than 5% of material by weight that is non-organic, and thesematerials must be on the allowed substances list, provided herein. Asrequired by the USDA, any water and salt included in the product must beremoved from the equation for determination of the weight percent ofnon-organic materials. In an exemplary embodiment, the toothpaste iscertified USDA organic and contains no more than 5% by weightnon-organic materials, and preferably contains no more than 4% by weightnon-organic material, and more preferably contains only certifiedorganic materials, as defined by the USDA.

In an exemplary embodiment, the organic toothpaste contains no more than5% by weight of any of the materials or combination of materials listedin Tables 3 to 5, or on any future list of allowed substances forinclusion in a certified organic product by the USDA.

In an exemplary embodiment, an organic toothpaste, or the Pickeringemulsion, contains glycerin in a concentration of at least about 10%, atleast about 15%, at least about 20%, at least about 25%, at least about30% by weight, at least about 35% by weight of the organic toothpaste orany concentration between and including the percent concentrationsprovided. The organic toothpaste or the Pickering emulsion containswater, such as distilled water, in a concentration of at least about30%, at least about 35%, at least about 40%, at least about 50% byweight, at least about 55%, at least about 60% by weight of the organictoothpaste or any concentration between and including the percentconcentrations provided. The ratio of the water to glycerin may beimportant in the formation of the emulsion and therefore the ratio maybe about 1.5:1 or more, about 2:1 or more, about 2.5:1 or more, about3:1 or more and any range between and including the ratios provided. Theconcentration of water may be relatively high in the toothpasteformulation, which is surprising given all the other properties theformulation must have. Xatham gum is a very strong thickening agent andguar gum may be added to further stabilize and thicken the composition.

An exemplary organic toothpaste may comprise a particle stabilizer thatattaches to the interface of the continuous and dispersed phase, ordiscontinuous phase of the emulsion to prevent phase separation andincludes, but is not limited to, erythritol, rice powder, coconut milkpowder, coconut flour, calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and thelike. Erythritol may be a preferred stabilizer as it has relatively lowsolubility in water and therefore may be provided in a relatively highconcentration, such as about 10% by weight or more, about 12% by weightor more, about 15% by weight or more, about 18% by weight or more, about20% by weight or more about 25% by weight or more and any range betweenand including the percentages provided. Erythritol and/or rice powdermay be included in the Pickering emulsion in a concentration sufficientto provide adequate stabilization of the emulsion, as described herein.

TABLE 3 Nonagricultural Substances Allowed (a) Nonsynthetics allowed:Acids (Alginic; Citric-produced by microbial fermentation ofcarbohydrate substances; and Lactic). Agar-agar. Animalenzymes-(Rennet-animals derived; Catalase-bovine liver; Animal lipase;Attapulgite-as a processing aid in the handling of plant and animaloils. Bentonite. Calcium carbonate. Calcium chloride. Calciumsulfate-mined. Carrageenan. Dairy cultures. Diatomaceous earth-foodfiltering aid only. Enzymes-must be derived from edible, nontoxicplants, nonpathogenic fungi, or Flavors, nonsynthetic sources only andmust not be produced using synthetic solvents and Gellan gum (CAS #71010-52-1)-high-acyl form only. Glucono delta-lactone-production by theoxidation of D-glucose with bromine water is Kaolin. L-Malic acid (CAS #97-67-6). Magnesium sulfate, nonsynthetic sources only.Microorganisms-any food grade bacteria, fungi, and other microorganism.Nitrogen-oil-free grades. Oxygen-oil-free grades. Perlite-for use onlyas a filter aid in food processing. Potassium chloride. Potassiumiodide. Sodium bicarbonate. Sodium carbonate. Tartaric acid-made fromgrape wine. Waxes-nonsynthetic (Carnauba wax; and Wood resin).Yeast-When used as food or a fermentation agent in products labeled as“organic,” yeast must be organic if its end use is for humanconsumption; nonorganic yeast may be used when organic yeast is notcommercially available. Growth on petrochemical substrate and sulfitewaste liquor is prohibited. For smoked yeast, nonsynthetic smokeflavoring process must be documented.

TABLE 4 Synthetics Allowed (b) Synthetics allowed: Acidilied sodiumchlorite-Secondary direct antimicrobial food treatment and indirect foodcontact surface sanitizing. Acidified with citric acid only. Activatedcharcoal (CAS #s 7440-44-0; 64365-11-3)-only from vegetative sources;for use only as a filtering aid. Alginates. Ammonium bicarbonate-for useonly as a leavening agent. Ammonium carbonate-for use only as aleavening agent. Ascorbic acid. Calcium citrate. Calcium hydroxide.Calcium phosphates (monobasic, dibasic, and tribasic). Carbon dioxide.Cellulose-for use in regenerative casings, as an anti-caking agent(non-chlorine bleached) and filtering aid. Chlorinematerials-disinfecting and sanitizing food contact surfaces, Except,That, residual chlorine levels in the water shall not exceed the maximumresidual disinfectant limit under the Safe Drinking Water Act (Calciumhypochlorite; Chlorine dioxide; and Sodium hypochlorite).Ethylene-allowed for postharvest ripening of tropical fruit anddegreening of citrus. Ferrous sulfate-for iron enrichment orfortification of foods when required by regulation or recommended(independent organization). Glycerides (mono and di)-for use only indrum drying of food. Glycerin-produced by hydrolysis of fats and oils.Hydrogen peroxide. Magnesium chloride-derived from sea water. Magnesiumstearate-for use only in agricultural products labeled “made withorganic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” prohibited inagricultural products labeled “organic”. Nutrient vitamins and minerals,in accordance with 21 CFR 104.20, Nutritional Quality Guidelines ForFoods. Ozone. Peracetic acid/Peroxyacetic acid (CAS # 79-21-0)-for usein wash and/or rinse water according to FDA limitations. For use as asanitizer on food contact surfaces. Phosphoric acid-cleaning offood-contact surfaces and equipment only. Potassium acid tartrate.Potassium carbonate. Potassium citrate. Potassium hydroxide-prohibitedfor use in lye peeling of fruits and vegetables except when used forpeeling peaches. Potassium phosphate-for use only in agriculturalproducts labeled “made with organic (specific ingredients or foodgroup(s)),” prohibited in agricultural products labeled “organic”.Silicon dioxide-Permitted as a defoamer. Allowed for other uses whenorganic rice hulls are not commercially available. Sodium acidpyrophosphate (CAS # 7758-16-9)-for use only as a leavening agent.Sodium citrate. Sodium hydroxide-prohibited for use in lye peeling offruits and vegetables. Sodium phosphates-for use only in dairy foods.Sulfur dioxide-for use only in wine labeled “made with organic grapes,”Provided, That, total sulfite concentration does not exceed 100 ppm.Tocopherols-derived from vegetable oil when rosemary extracts are not asuitable alternative. Xanthan gum.

TABLE 5 Non-organically produced agricultural products allowed (a)Casings, from processed intestines. (b) Celery powder. (e) Colorsderived from agricultural products-Must not be produced using syntheticsolvents and carrier systems or any artificial preservative. (1) Beetjuice extract color (pigment CAS #7659-95-2). (2) Beta-carotene extractcolor-derived from carrots or algae (pigment CAS# 7235-40-7). (3) Blackcurrant juice color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5,134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134-04-3). (4) Black/Purple carrot juice color(pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30- 7,and 134-04-3). (5) Blueberry juice color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5,528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134- 04-3). (6) Carroljuice color (pigment CAS #1393-63-1). (7) Cherry juice color (pigmentCAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134-04-3). (8) Chokeberry-Aronia juice color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5,528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30- 7, and 134-04-3). (9) Elderberryjuice color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0,1429-30-7, and 134-04-3). (10) Grape juice color (pigment CAS #'s:528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134- 04-3). (11)Grape skin extract color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5,134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134-04-3). (12) Paprika color (CAS#68917-78-2)-dried, and oil extracted. (13) Pumpkin juice color (pigmentCAS #127-40-2). (14) Purple potato juice (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5,528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134- 04-3). (15) Redcabbage extract color (pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5,134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and 134-04-3). (16) Red radish extract color(pigment CAS #'s: 528-58-5, 528-53-0, 643-84-5, 134-01-0, 1429-30-7, and134-04-3). (17) Saffron extract color (pigment CAS #1393-63-1). (18)Turmeric extract color (CAS #458-37-7). (d) Fish oil (Fatty acid CAS#'s: 10417-94-4, and 25167-62-8)-stabilized with organic ingredients oronly with ingredients on the National List, §§205.605 and 205.606. (e)Fructooligosaccharides (CAS # 308066-66-2). (f) Gelatin (CAS #9000-70-8). (g) Gums-water extracted only (Arabic; Guar; Locust bean;and Carob bean). (h) Inulin-oligofructose enriched (CAS # 9005-80-5).(i) Kelp-for use only as a thickener and dietary supplement. (j) Konjacflour (CAS # 37220-17-0). (k) Lecithin-de-oiled. (l) Orange pulp, dried.(m) Orange shellac-unbleached (CAS # 9000-59-3). (n) Pectin(non-amidated forms only). (o) Seaweed, Pacific kombu. (p) Starches. (1)Cornstarch (native). (2) Sweet potato starch-for bean thread productiononly. (q) Tragacanth gum (CAS #-9000-65-1). (r) Turkish bay leaves. (s)Wakante seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida). (t) Whey protein concentrate.

An exemplary organic toothpaste of the present invention has a suitableviscosity at 20° C., such as about 100,000 centipoise to about 1,000,000centipoise and more preferably between about 100,000 to 500,000centipoise, and is stable over the required shelf life of two years. Anexemplary organic toothpaste of the present invention has a pleasanttaste and has particles to provide effective cleaning and whitening ofteeth. An exemplary organic toothpaste of the present invention producessoap and foams. An exemplary organic toothpaste of the present inventionhas a pleasant smell and leaves a person's mouth feeling clean and freshafter use.

An exemplary toothpaste may be formed by first mixing the abrasives orparticle components with water and then adding a surfactant or foamingagent and subsequently adding flavoring. The flavorings may be premixedbefore adding to the composition. The composition may be heated duringthe process to enhance mixing and dispersion of ingredients. Thickenersand the oil component may be added to the composition and mixed at ahigh rate to form the Pickering Emulsion. The oil or discontinuouscomponent may be glycerin and this may be premixed with the thickener,such as xanthan gum and/or guar gum prior to mixing with thecomposition.

The summary of the invention is provided as a general introduction tosome of the embodiments of the invention and is not intended to belimiting. Additional example embodiments including variations andalternative configurations of the invention are provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 shows a toothpaste tube and toothpaste being dispensed from saidtube.

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram of a process method to make an organictoothpaste that comprises a Pickering emulsion.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary toothpaste formulation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the figures. The figures represent anillustration of some of the embodiments of the present invention and arenot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in anymanner. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some featuresmay be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Also, use of “a” or “an” are employed to describeelements and components described herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention.This description should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are describedherein and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodimentsdescribed are only for purposes of illustrating the present inventionand should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications,combinations and improvements of the described embodiments, will occurto those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments,combinations, modifications and improvements are within the scope of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a certified USDA organic toothpaste 10 is beingdispensed from a toothpaste tube 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the Pickering emulsion is formed by first mixing thecomponents the continuous phase with the particles. In this exemplaryembodiment, water is mixed with the particles, erythritol and ricepowder. Other extracts may also be combined with this initialcomposition and mixed. Flavoring may be premixed and then added to thecontinuous phase composition. Thickening components as well as thediscontinuous phase components may be premixed and then added to thecontinuous phase composition and mixed vigorously to form an emulsion, aPickering emulsion wherein particles, erythritol are within theinterface between the continuous and discontinuous or dispersed phase.In an exemplary embodiment, the discontinuous phase consists essentiallyof glycerin, wherein the discontinuous phase is at least 75% glycerinand preferably is at least 85% glycerin.

As shown in FIG. 3, a USDA certified organic toothpaste formulationcontains no more than 5% of non-organic ingredients provided on the listof allowed substances, found in the Electronic Code of FederalRegulations, Subpart G published on May 24, 2018. This exemplaryformulation, when mixed and combined in an effective way, achieves allof the required properties of toothpaste including, viscosity, foaming,abrasive, flavor and shelf-life.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations and variations can be made in the presentinvention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.Specific embodiments, features and elements described herein may bemodified, and/or combined in any suitable manner. Thus, it is intendedthat the present invention cover the modifications, combinations andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

The following references are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety:

-   Reference 1: Nattapol Tangsuphoom, August (2008). Properties and    Structures Of Coconut Milk Emulsions, A Dissertation in Food    Science. The Pennsylvania State University, The Graduate School,    College of Agricultural Sciences, ProQuest LLC;-   Reference 2: Nazima Siddiqui, Adeel Ahmad, (2013). A STUDY ON    VISCOSITY, SURFACE TENSION AND VOLUME FLOW RATE OF SOME EDIBLE AND    MEDICINAL OILS, Biophysics Research Laboratory, Department of    Physics, Nizam College, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500 001,    India, International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology,    Vol. 2, No 6, 1318-1326, ISSN 2278-3687 (O).-   Reference 3: J. González1, C. Albano2, M. Hernández1, M. N.    Ichazo1, S. Alvarado2, D. M. Ziegler, (2001), MECHANICAL PROPERTIES    AND MORPHOLOGY OF POLYOLEFIN COMPOSITES WITH COCONUT FLOUR,    1Universidad Simón Bolivar, Departamento de Mecánica,    Caracas-Venezuela and 2Universidad Central de Venezuela, Escuela de    Ing. Quimica, Caracas-Venezuela

What is claimed is:
 1. An organic toothpaste, wherein the toothpaste isorganic as defined by comprising at least 95% by weight of organicingredients derived from living organisms and no more than 5% by weightof ingredients on the list of allowed substances, found in theElectronic Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart G published on May 24,2018; wherein the organic toothpaste comprises: a) at least 40% byweight water; b) at least 4% by weight chamomile flower extract topreserve the USDA certified organic toothpaste; and c) an abrasive; d) anatural foaming ingredient; wherein the toothpaste is a Pickeringemulsion comprising: i) a continuous phase of said emulsion; ii) adispersed phase of the emulsion comprising glycerin in a concentrationof at least 10% by weight of the organic toothpaste; iii) an interfacebetween said continuous and dispersed phase of the emulsion; iv) saidparticle stabilizer located in said interface to stabilize the emulsion,wherein the particle stabilizer has a particle size of no more than 850microns; and wherein the organic toothpaste has a viscosity at 20° C.between 60 kcps and 500 kcps; and wherein the organic toothpaste has ashelf life of at least 12 months.
 2. The organic toothpaste of claim 1,wherein the USDA certified organic toothpaste contains only organicpreservatives.
 3. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein theabrasive comprises rice powder.
 4. The organic toothpaste of claim 1,wherein the abrasive comprises Erythritol.
 5. The organic toothpaste ofclaim 4, wherein the Erythritol is included in a concentration by weightof at least 8%.
 6. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein thenatural foaming ingredient comprises Quillaja saponaria.
 7. The organictoothpaste of claim 1, wherein the natural foaming ingredient comprisessaponin.
 8. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein the continuousphase comprises water.
 9. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein theglycerin is included in a concentration of at least 15% by weight of theorganic toothpaste.
 10. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein thedispersed phase consists essentially of glycerin.
 11. The organictoothpaste of claim 1, wherein the water and glycerin are present in thePickering emulsion in a concentration ratio of water to glycerin of atleast about 2 to
 1. 12. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein thewater and glycerin are present in the Pickering emulsion in aconcentration ratio of water to chamomile of at least about 2.5 to 1.13. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, wherein the particle stabilizercomprises erythritol.
 14. The organic toothpaste of claim 13, whereinerythritol is included in a concentration of at least 4% by weight ofthe organic toothpaste.
 15. The organic toothpaste of claim 1, whereinthe stabilizer consists essentially of erythritol, wherein at least 75%of the particles in the organic toothpaste are erythritol.
 16. Theorganic toothpaste of claim 1, further comprising a sweetener.
 17. Theorganic toothpaste of claim 16, wherein the sweetener is a naturalsweetener selected from the group consisting of stevia, agave, yaconsyrup, erythritol, xylitol and natural sugar.
 18. The organic toothpasteof claim 16, wherein the sweetener consists essentially of erythritolwherein at least 85% of the sweetener is erythritol.
 19. The organictoothpaste of claim 16, wherein the sweetener comprises stevia.
 20. Theorganic toothpaste of claim 19, wherein stevia is included in aconcentration of no more than 2% by weight of the organic toothpaste.